Generational Archives

This is a special short series focused on generational healing through reflecting on what we loved to do or would have loved to do with our ancestors ... and doing now with our beloveds. In this episode, we talk about going to the movies and traveling!

Post-election, we share some strategies to survive what's coming.

Podcast Episode recorded in November 2024

In this beginning of Season 3, we share an interview with beloved community leader Mrs. Nancy Lee-Reed as she tells her story of coming to Uniontown, PA from Mississippi.

Podcast Episode recorded in October 2024

When babies are expected, a community may gather to offer gifts of care to the parents in the form of quilted, crocheted, or knitted items. In this episode, in expectation of Raina's third child, Aliseo, we talk about the pieces that Dr. Thomas received as a new mother and handed down to Dr. León and then what was created for Raina's children specifically. Do you know where the quilts in your house came from? Ask for (and write down and share) the story!

Podcast Episode recorded in May 2024

Walter Satterwhite was the grandfather who never was for Dr. Norma D. Thomas. She grew up never knowing him, which meant that she also didn't know that she had an aunt and uncle in New York. What do you do when your ancestors insist on being known? In this case, you follow the story and ask more questions. Learning more took her, her sisters, and eventually her daughter to New York.

Interview done in November 2023 and episode recorded in March 2024.

In this episode, we share the discover of a relative, executed in the electric chair, whose case went all the way to the Supreme Court. It's been nearly a hundred years since John Logan was killed ... but why was his story never told until now?

In this episode, we have guest, Je-Shawna Wholley, founder of Earthseed, who shares her own journey with generational research and the work of creating a space for other Black creatives and researchers to learn more about our people.

She said, "Don't dream around Raina," but what happens if you do? Those dreams come true! In this episode, we talk about the building that will become the African American Museum of Fayette County, developing from the traveling museum. We talk programs, inspirations (Paul Robeson Museum, The Colored Girls Museum, and Libromobile among others), and the work to come.

So what do you do when you get stuck in your archival research? You research alongside, talk to your people, and when an opening occurs, you never wait! This episode talks about some strategies to get unstuck, Facebook groups that can be good resources, and also trusting in the ancestors' revelations that will be right on time.

In this episode, we talk about handling your business: wills, insurance/policies, communication, organization, etc. and what that will open to you in assuring smooth transfers after we transition, preservation of our legacies, and even opportunities to connect to our ancestors through dreams.

In this episode, we talk about some of the core documents to help you on your genealogical journey: documents like the census ... and artifacts such as tombstones and stained glass. What can you find on those documents? And how can these documents give context to learning about your family?

In this episode, we talk about some of the core documents to help you on your genealogical journey: birth certificates, death certificates, and social security applications. What can you find on those documents? What are some of the regional differences? And how can these documents give context to learning about your family? We even talk about use of these documents in researching aunts and uncles, which may help you to get past barriers in your research. This podcast was recorded in Zoom so there are some lags.

In this episode, we share some of the stories of Daddy Ning, Miguel Angel Léon, who was a Merchant Marine, sailed the world, and taught his children to fight and that no one could take away their self worth. We also use childhood photographs to get to more stories. What can you learn from the story of someone's grandfather? What do you know about yours?

In this episode, we talk about what we have learned from the last season, important discoveries, and what's coming (a permanent space for the museum, introductions to archival research, curriculum development, and more travel and connecting!)

In this special episode, one of two, we interview Eddie León on his beginnings. The narrative extends from his beginnings in New York to Philadelphia, the struggle of coming up with his father traveling as a Merchant Marine most of the year (and common struggles of Puerto Ricans finding their way in New York City in the 1950s), and more. There's even a story of evil spirits, the landlord who sought to use spells to ill effect and got caught up in his own ill will, and more ... all shared over the perfect cup of coffee.

This episode finds our podcast hosts in far-flung locations: Viareggio, Italy and Las Vegas, NV. The interview was done with James Thomas by Dr. Norma D. Thomas and is introduced by Dr. Raina J. León.

What is one magical moment from your childhood that you have never shared with others? Sharing those kinds of stories are important, because they will never be preserved in the documents or archives ... unless they are inscribed in a journal or something like that. This episode focuses on the importance of keeping a family reunion tradition and sharing documents, memories, stories, artifacts, and more. Share with us how you preserve the undocumented stories in the comments!

The documents can tell you a lot, but what won't they tell you? Left-handed or not? Are your people mostly early birds or night owls? Do they like the taste of cilantro or think it tastes like soap? In this episode, we give updates of our trip to South Carolina, discoveries with the census and how my (Raina's) grandmother lived in a place we never knew (which may ultimately lead to a discovery about the location of my aunt's birth), and discoveries about our ancestor named Picky.

What must it feel like to lose your children? And how do your children reconcile the loss? In this podcast, we talk about Nana Sarah, the mother of Queen Ester, what we have learned about her from the records and how she appears and disappears within them (as well as in the memories of even her own family. Tell us how this inspires you to learn more about your family, even the secrets, how you get free of shame and move towards reconciliation and honoring of memories. We also talk about the promises we have made our ancestors and how we keep them in this moment. Join us!

Who taught you to pray and what was your first prayer? That's our check-in question today before we consider what we have learned about Mami Juanita, Raina's paternal grandmother. In this episode, we share information from the birth certificates, interviews done in 2003 and 2014, her obituary, and personal recollections, hoping that our journey will inspire you on yours.

We have shared a great deal about our people and the methods we used to find out more information about them. In this episode, we focus on the methods we used: from birth certificates to deeds, stories to showing up at the family reunion, we share many of the ways that we have found out about our people in the hopes that it will help you find yours.

What do you really know about your own grandparents? In this episode, we learn that Eddie Thomas was a saint, a mechanic, a stubborn man, a loving husband, hoarder, a DJ, a puzzler, and a beloved father and grandfather and other things. Join us, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas as we share how we learned about him, through lived experience, stories, documents, photographs, and more ... and perhaps that might inspire you to learn about your kin, too.

Do you know where your people are buried? When was the last time you attended to the graves there? How you attend to the departed is a reflection of your attention to yourself, your own body, your people and your future. In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, talk about the Black cemeteries of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, emphasizing the Thomas Family Cemetery and the Clearview Cemetery.

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, share our own birth and birthing stories. Do you know yours? If you have children, have you shared their beginnings? Who was there to welcome them into the world? How have you maintained relationships in community? In our cases, we were both impacted by medicalized racism and had severe health impacts as many black mothers do. Black mothers die 4 times as much as their white peers, and the fear of that can be seen within these birth stories. Perhaps in telling the story we can make health professionals more aware of the issues; perhaps the awareness and professionals interrogating their own biases might save lives.

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, begin our check in talking about music, before going into a discussion of the siblings and beginnings of Dr. Norma D. Thomas. Do you know your siblings? Do you really? It took decades for Dr. Thomas to learn fuller stories about hers in some cases and she shares some of what she has done to document their lives and celebrate all of who they are (even when they really can't drive).  

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, start with the check in question "Were you spoiled as a child?" and what that even means before sharing Dr. Thomas's process in starting her ancestral research with herself.  She talks about the baby pictures that she has, her origins in Fayette County, PA (Uniontown) and all the documents that inform her self-discovery.  She also shares with us about how a part of her legacy creation work is documenting the lives of her children and grandchildren through albums.  This is not about ego; it is about legacy.  You and your people must be remembered.  You are worthy of archives.  Also, if you do not celebrate your greatness, who will?  This podcast shares strategies for celebrating your you and all that (and who) informs you.  

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, share with you, as a continuation of our South Carolina story, information about Harry Logan, blacksmith, church trustee, and community institution builder.  We share what we have learned about his history (perhaps with Boston connection), his determination and resolve to be free in all ways (including in love), his resistance and persistence, and his legacy at Lockhart.  We also share how sometimes what we remember differs from family members.  How does what you remember conflict or show another part of the story than your people remember?  Share that with us in the comments! 

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, share with you information on Fayette County in Western Pennsylvania and Black History.  Black History should be taught every day, not just during the month of February.  In this episode, we talk about the importance of learning your history to support the development of community and cultural pride, how teachers and young people can be partners in discovering and sharing the stories important to a community, and also some techniques and practices in creating cultural institutions.  

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, introduce you to Queen Ester, whose voice, after decades lost, appeared in a previously lost cassette tape.  Dr. Thomas shares a poem written for her mother, "Images".  We talk about preserving letters and the reliability of records (birth certificates and death certificates). 

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, introduce you to Grannie, who lived a COLORFUL life.  She went to danced on the Apollo stage as Princess Olga, was a cigarette girl with Billie Holiday, a leader of the Evening Star, traveling widely.  She also also suffered the loss of her first son during a TB epidemic in 1947, while pregnant, an epidemic which ultimately saw her daughter also placed in a sanatarium with her two grandchildren, one who would not survive.  Even amidst the loss, Grannie laughed and welcomed and celebrated.  This episode celebrates her gumption and offers you some methods to find out more about your people

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, introduce ourselves as collaborative creatives, scholars, and archivists through our continued consideration of talent.  We share an introduction to Aunt Doris through a discussion of the documents and methods we've used to learn more about her.  She was an adventurous vocalist who performed across genres, known for for singing in spiritual contexts, music comedies, on stage and on the silver screen, blues, jazz, and more.  She lived a long life, highly regarded for her talent, and when her brother became ill, she moved to Philadelphia to care for him, putting away the glitz and glamour of sequined costumes to become a beloved day laborer. In this episode, we celebrate Aunt Doris, what we were able to learn about her, her family and travels  while also perhaps inspiring listeners to listen, investigate, document, and learn more about the past to root themselves and cast healing and hope into the future.

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, introduce ourselves as collaborative creatives, scholars, and archivists.  We share an introduction to Uncle Francis through a discussion of the documents and methods we've used to learn more about him.  He was a poet, musician, and vocalist, like his mother, aunt, sister and many others in the family, but he died young during the 1947 TB epidemic that struck much of the United States and especially Uniontown and Western PA.  In that epidemic, there was another member of our family, a barely one year old cousin of Francis who died.  Her sister, just a few years older, lost a lung but survived.  In this episode, though, we celebrate Francis, what we were able to learn about him, his wife, and his life while also perhaps inspiring listeners to listen, investigate, document, and learn more about the past to root themselves and cast healing and hope into the future.  

In this episode, we, Dr. Raina J. León and Dr. Norma D. Thomas, introduce ourselves as collaborative creatives, scholars, and archivists... and you get a sense of who we are as a duo.